Carrera makes radical decisions

[stevebaby]

Aaaaah...sailing up to the mooring with the iron tops'l down and a perfectly controlled drift...how sweet it is, and even sweeter with an audience of plastic stinkboaters, all studiously trying to control their jealousy by looking the other way...

 

[EoinC]

...How sweet it is...

Great sweetness, indeed...when it goes right. When it goes wrong, the pain...the pain. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It is all part of getting to know a vessel. I've rigged up a nice simple reefing system, which steps the loose-footed main down to a very manageable size, but she still holds her shape.
The headsails I have seem to have been hand-me-downs from other boats, and are not well matched, although you can get away with a lot on a long-footed gaffer. I don't plan on changing them until I am certain of what I want, and how she behaves in the plethora of conditions that the Zephyrs can throw at us.
My 8 y.o. daughter / 1st Mate and I had an overnighter on "Mae Nam" on Saturday, before I returned to Afreeka. It was bloody good - she read her Asterix books by torchlight, until a storm came through and we unfurled half of the covers and got some shuteye. She's starting to understand the meaning of keeping things shipshape, and tells the rest of the family off when they come onboard and start putting **** all over the place. Now I've just got to try to transfer that imprint across to her actions at home...mission impossible.

 

[mikesbytes]

I wrote a polite, business like letter just informing the authorities my boat failed its test. There isn't really a lot I can do about it as I'm not really willing to just keep throwing out more and more money.
My suspicion is the examiners sometimes use this situation to get work for handymen or engineers they may know personally, maybe for a backhander. Of course, I may be wrong.
It now depends on what reply I get to the letter. If it's a no compromise reply it may well be my boating days are over and I'll turn my hand to messing about with bike mechanics which is far less complicated.
Now we'll just have to wait and see.

What was the outcome?

 

[WilliamK1974]

"Actually Carrera, you could have even cracked his skull and get away with it cuz he would have had lock cutters.."

The ideal would be to wait till the thief is on the bike and just started to pedal off. It would then be a matter of grabbing the rear fork and throwing the bike over so the thief hits the floor hard.
After that, you just keep him there and have someone call the Police.
At any rate, I've had no calls from the Police yet so it seems maybe they've not analysed the security tapes. In reality, this case should be a cakewalk. Any city camera should pick up a guy carrying bolt croppers who meets the description we already have.

Sorry to hear that you're having this trouble. I've never had anything like this stolen before. My youngest brother has a Peugeot bike that he bought at a thrift store for about $35. At one point, he lived in a part of town with a high crime rate. He befriended some of the neighborhood children, and one day was outside when one of them came up and told him they had just seen someone stealing his bike, and also told him where the thief was going.

He took off after him on foot. The thief saw him coming and tried to shift gears to gain speed. My brother was still working on the chain adjustment, so the chain popped off the front sprocket. The thief dumped the bike and ran. My brother recognized him as a neighborhood drug addict and let him go. He's an Army Reservist and a force to be reckoned with. He said it's just as well the guy bailed, cause had he not, the temptation to administer a serious thumping would have been hard to resist.

 

[EoinC]

So, what's it gonna be, Carrera? Are you keeping the boat?

 

[Carrera]

Yes, it's going well. I persevered and gritted my teeth. Slowly, some light appeared at the end of the tunnel and I have permission to keep working on the boat.
I fitted the outboard bracket which was a really tough job (very cramped in the engine box). I can now hang any outboard on the back and the old boat will go. All I have to do is fit a few more coach bolts so the bracket is super strong.

So, what's it gonna be, Carrera? Are you keeping the boat?